The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) was recently awarded a $12.6 million project grant (P01) from the National Cancer Institute of the Public Health to expand collaborative efforts together to examine the biological processes of BRCA1, BRCA2. and tumor suppressors and shed light on potential new cancer treatments.
Lei Zheng, MD, PhD, executive director of Mays Cancer Center, UT Health San Antonio, said: “This research investment is a commitment to provide pioneering treatment in cancer care.” “Funds support our mission to take positive action to bring hope and fight cancer.”
Research into BRCA1, BRCA2 and related gene mutations associated with breast and ovarian cancer has led to treatments that are highly effective in many patients. However, many patients must fight recurrences, and in some cases these tumors are resistant to different types of treatment, said Patrick Sung, DPhil, program leader for this year-old grant. five.
Sung, director of the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, associate professor of research with the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, professor of biochemistry and structural biology and the Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair of Chemistry, a world-leading expert on the roles of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in DNA repair.
According to Sung, BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations can lead to breast, ovarian, prostate and other cancers. Mutations in these genes affect one in every 200-300 people, which is more than one million carriers in the United States alone.
Current treatments, such as FDA-approved polyADP ribose polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) and platinum-based chemotherapy, generally work in most patients. However, many treated patients eventually develop resistance to these drugs when the disease returns, Sung said. Understanding the mechanisms that cause drug resistance is critical to determining which treatment options will be most appropriate and to facilitate the development of new therapeutic strategies.
Sung said the grant, the largest of his career, allows UT Health San Antonio and the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute to bring together some of the world’s best scientists to develop a comprehensive plan to elucidate the biological mechanisms of cancer. DNA damage repair and how BRCA gene mutations affect the ability to repair.
“This project grant is proof that we are working well together and doing impactful work as a multidisciplinary team. This investment will continue to strengthen relationships among project researchers,” Sung said. said.
Trying to find cures for cancer without knowing the biology behind it is like looking for a key in a dark room, Sung said. Understanding the basics of science is like turning on a light.
The program’s project grants include a supported network of research projects and core resources that collaborate to share knowledge and resources. Each project makes unique contributions to the overall project.
Research projects and basic materials
The program includes a management core, three shared cores and three projects. All units will be led by scientists at UT Health San Antonio except project 1, which is led by Dipanjan Chowdhury, PhD, and Panagiotis (Panos) Konstantinopoulos, MD, PhD, from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
Project leader 2 is Sandeep Burma, PhD, professor of neurosurgery. Sung and Eric Greene, PhD, professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia University in New York City, are co-investigators.
Project 3 co-leaders are Alexander Mazin, PhD, professor of biochemistry, and Weixing Zhao, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry. Greene is a co-investigator.
The first core will be protein biochemistry and enzymology, led by Youngho Kwon, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry.
The second point is replication and chromosome analysis, led by Robert Hromas, MD, acting president of UT Health San Antonio.
The third foundation is structural biology and biophysics, led by David Libich, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry.
“By strengthening basic science, we will create a seamless connection between research and medical translation,” said Sung.
#Health #San #Antonio #awarded #million #program #grants #cancer #research #Health #San #Antonio